1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an injection pump assembly in a chemical delivery system for simultaneously delivering reagents into a combinatorial reactor with multiple reactors. The invention also includes a method of using the assembly.
2. Background Art
The chemical engineer and researcher practice the art and science of, for example, screening catalysts, polymerization of polyolefins, hydrogenation, carbonylation, oxidation, and hydrothermal synthesis. Typically, such processes on a commercial scale occur in reactors with large tanks. In such applications, it is desirable to discover new materials and catalysts more quickly and optimize them. It is known that replication of the environment inside large volume reactors on a smaller scale may facilitate process development.
One approach is to use the techniques of parallel chemistry. This allows the chemical engineer to run more reactions in less time, collect more accurate data, reduce costs, and increase his rate of acquisition of new knowledge.
Depending on the type of research, the requirements for parallel synthesis tools vary. For example, traditional synthetic organic chemists need tools that increase personal productivity without requiring a fundamental change in their work processes. Combinatorial chemistry specialists prefer automation. They desire to implement systems having a higher throughput, combined with reliability and increasingly sophisticated capabilities. Process chemists have another set of needs: automation to control a large number of independent reaction variables.
Argonaut Technologies of Foster City, Calif. makes available a system called Endeavor™ which is used, for example, for catalyst screening. This system brings parallel methodology to catalyst discovery and optimization. It runs eight individual pressurized, gaseous reactions simultaneously, while tracking the gas uptake in each reaction vessel. Used, for example, for polymerization, the system also is applied to such processes as hydrogenation, carbonylation, catalyst screening and other applications where control of temperature, pressure and continuous stirring are vital. Argonaut Technologies, Inc. is licensed by Symyx Technologies of Santa Clara, Calif. to manufacture and sell the Endeavor™ eight-cell-continuous-stirred parallel pressure reactor. This technology has been applied successfully in polymer research efforts, and is applicable to the discovery and optimization of a wide range of materials.
Among the prior art identified in a search that preceded this application are such U.S. Pat. Nos. as 5,716,584; 5,888,830; 6,132,686; 6,045,671; 6,306,658; and 6,326,090. Each is incorporated by reference, to the extent not inconsistent with this specification.